The present invention relates to a deployable step for accessing a portion of a vehicle, such as the interior of the cargo box of a pickup truck.
Utility vehicles, particularly pickup trucks, are used for a wide variety purposes, including the transportation of tradesmen's tools. Such tools are frequently carried in toolboxes mounted at the front of a pickup truck's bed. Unfortunately, pickup trucks are often quite tall, particularly 4×4 trucks, trucks with large wheel/tire combinations, and trucks that are particularly suited to off-road use. Thus, designers have a tended to develop steps allowing access over the sides of pickup trucks to items carried within the bed. Such steps can also be used on other types of utility bodies to access even exterior mounted toolboxes, or welding generators, compressors, and other devices mounted at an upper portion of a utility body.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,533,303 and 6,663,125 disclose steps for use with utility vehicles such as pickup trucks. System of the '303 patent suffers from the fact that its mounting is accomplished by a single bracket bolted to the frame of a vehicle. Such a mounting may be lacking in terms of its ability to handle the moment created by the weight of an individual upon the step; this limits the usefulness of the step shown in the '303 patent. The mounting shown in the '125 patent, is suspended from the rocker panel of a body using sheet metal screws. An adjustable bracket bears upon the frame of the vehicle but only in compression. As a result, the load carrying capability and robustness of the step shown in the '125 patent is limited.
An articulated step system for an automotive vehicle according to the present invention solves the problems with known prior art steps by employing the strongest structures of the vehicle to not only support the step system in shear, but also to avoid problems with the moment created by the weight of a person.